Blackpowder
by IAmTotallyOriginal
Summary: The year was 1899. Who would've expected a portal to open in the heart of Texas?
1. Chapter 1

**A.N: This story isn't gonna be updated too often since I'm already working on another, so just fyi. Also don't be afraid to point out any historical inaccuracies .**

* * *

The sun rose upon another miserable day. It's heat made Sergeant Major Thomas Stevenson wonder why he was forced to wear a full long sleeved uniform in the heat of the Texas summer. The year was 1899 for crying out loud, why did they still have to use these heavy things?

"Howdy Sarge," a Corporal known as Jefferson greeted, "you still too much of a Yankee for this fine weather?" Corporal Jefferson came from a long line of Texans, all the way back to before the Republic of Texas.

"Give me a cigar, Corporal."

"Yes, sir!" The Corporal smartly saluted before handing his sergeant the requested cigar.

Said sergeant gratefully took it and stuck it into his mouth, satisfied.

"Careful, Sarge, heard from the ole Doc that cigars are bad for you. Besides, don't you think it's too hot for a smoke?"

"Ah so you Southerners also think it's hot."

"Well I-uh," the corporal knew he'd been beaten and looked away.

The sergeant chuckled before going back to looking over the barren grassland.

Something was there.

The sergeant rubbed his eyes. No, something was most definitely there.

"Corporal hand me the telescope! We may have ourselves an interesting morning."

The corporal handed his sergeant the telescope.

A large marble building stood nearly behind a hill.

"Either some local outlaw learned how to build like a Roman, and has the ability to instantly create buildings, or something odd is going on." The sergeant thrust the telescope back into the waiting hands of the corporal, "alert all troops at once. I want a scouting party to head west to that strange building. I want you to lead them."

"Yes sir!" The corporal smartly saluted before rushing off.

* * *

The Imperial Army lay in wait. This was their first attempt at conquering another world, and they knew they would not fail.

The general waited for the perfect moment to blow the horn. A great silence lay over all the soldiers…not even the Wyverns made a noise.

"ALL TROOPS…ADVANCE!"

They gained ground quickly; each man wondered what another world would look like. The adrenaline flowed through their veins.

* * *

However far it seemed that the Roman building was, it certainly was closer than that. Now the soldiers stood there with a Gatling-gun aimed towards the only opening on the building, not knowing quite what to do.

"I swear I heard some shouting," said one private.

"Bah! There ain't nothin', partner, just your own imagination," responded another. They quickly got into an argument.

Jefferson looked back into the darkness that lay within the Roman building. _Is that?_

"SOMEONE MAN THE DAMN GATLING!" He shouted, "THERE'S SOMETHING COMING FROM THE BUILDING!"

One man looked into the Roman building, then glanced at the corporal, announced he was going to alert the fort and ran off to the east. They all knew he'd get there, and then run.

"What a bloody coward!" One English private exclaimed. Everyone agreed.

"If anything moves, kill it," Jefferson told the machine-gunners. They simply nodded back.

* * *

The first of the Imperial soldiers broke through into the bright light and heat of this new World and were immediately killed by some loud beast. Then came the second, and then the third. They all shared the same fate.

Then someone intelligent yelled for everyone to fall back.

"What the hell were we just hit by?!"

"Where's Artimus?! Anyone seen Artimus?! He was in the third wave!"

"I'M MISSING MY ARM!"

* * *

Only a single squad was left to defend the fort. This was dangerous, yes, but necessary for it seemed that an entire army was attacking said fort.

"Corporal!" Thomas exclaimed, "report!"

Jefferson smartly saluted before doing so, "we've managed to repel the initial attack with just our force and the Gatling. It seems we're fighting the Romans," he pointed to one of the enemy corpses, "which is prolly why it was so easy."

"Alright, they say the greatest defense is offense, leave your horses here. I want a squad to man the horseless carriage and another couple to carry the rest of the machine-guns. We're going into this strange portal-building thing."

They all saluted and quickly prepared for entry.

A message was telegraphed to Washington. They were going into another world.


	2. Chapter 2

Going through a magical Roman building was an incredibly peculiar feeling. Where ever you looked was a darkness that only lay in caves never seen. You knew you should've been able to see something, but there was nothing. But it wasn't pure nothingness, and that fact somewhat comforted the soldiers as they slowly trekked alongside the almost rumbling horseless carriage. Said horseless carriage had the only potato digger machine-gun that the company had to offer.

It was highly unusual.

"I think we're almost there," someone muttered quietly. It somehow seemed wrong to speak in such a place. A feeling none of them had ever before experienced.

"Light! I see light!" Someone else exclaimed. Or maybe they'd just spoke at a normal level, in this magical land it seemed like a mere whisper was louder than a cannon-shot.

* * *

"Mr. President, what do you think of this?" The radioman held up the Texans' message, "we received it just now. It's from Fort Concho, sir."

"I can see that we will need to respond. Supply them with more troops and guns. We are facing a threat from beyond the stars. If we can, supply the cavalry with armor."

"Yes, sir, I will alert the fort right away!"

* * *

An Imperial soldier named Gallus was eating away at a lamb's leg, not unlike most of the other soldiers. It was a beautiful day, and they were gonna enjoy it before they were forced through the Gate and into the World of the Sun.

"The cooks really outdid themselves with this feast," he muttered through a mouthful of lamb.

He glanced towards the Gate not expecting much.

There stood a large group of those men in the strange blue uniforms. They looked like they had just come through the Gate. He dropped his meal and reached for his sword…but he was too late, they started firing and several of his friends dropped dead.

* * *

All men fired upon the invading army. Thomas looked in satisfaction when he noticed all the boys had affixed their bayonets. He too picked up his repeater and fired with them, waiting for the machine-guns to begin to run dry.

They began to gain ground and they started to have to walk over the corpses of the Roman soldiers.

"Mostly empty, Sarge!" The horseless carriage's gunner yelled over the lead storm.

Thomas nodded and yelled, "all men! At the ready!" All riflemen stopped firing and lowered their guns until they were parallel to the ground. "CHARGE!"

All the soldiers bolted forward, almost in unison, towards the enemy. Thomas himself ran right next to his troops…straight into an enemy soldier who couldn't get his shield up quickly enough to stop the long knife from going straight through his skull.

Thomas left his repeater still firmly lodged in the soldier's head; he was getting charged by another soldier. He didn't bother doing anything fancy like kicking aside the Roman's shield, he instead just shot him dead with his double-action.

Suddenly the remaining Romans rushed back in a retreat.

"All men, return back through the portal-building!"

They listened and they all went back through. Somehow there were only two casualties.

* * *

"Sir," the radioman reached Thomas, "we're receiving troops and supplies from Washington. They'll be here in hopefully tomorrow. We're even getting cavalry."

"Good, thank President William for me." Thomas motioned for him to leave before continuing, "I want the squad on the horseless carriage to keep their guards on that Roman building, I want the rest of you chopping down trees and preparing defenses on both sides of that portal. At ease!"

They all dropped their salutes and ran to do the tasks assigned to them.

* * *

As the train raced through the American countryside, the general filled in the soldiers on the current events. "We're dealing with an otherworldly threat, one from beyond the stars. Naturally you'd think this gives them a technological advantage, but based off of what we've been told, we're basically fighting the Romans.

"You will all be equipped with repeaters and swords instead of your normal weapons. That swords training we had you quickly take wasn't for nothing. You will all be given breastplates. The cavalry will be equipped in half plate if you're wondering. We may have superior weaponry, but there _will_ be a point at which you will be fighting hand to hand.

"We will arrive at Fort Concho in exactly five hours. The Civil War was a horrible war, but I fear this may be worse. At ease!" They all went back to resting.

Still the train sped on.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a day, but now the reinforcements had set up shop. Frankly, they were impressed. Inside the Roman Portal was a large star-fort made from sharpened logs and stone. Trenches lined for miles past the fort's walls, and it was even defended by a rotary cannon they had dug up. There was even electric spotlights.

The reinforcements provided various gatling guns and even some Brownings.

Outside the Roman Portal was a much smaller star-fort made purely from sharpened logs. This too had gatlings for defense.

All in all, it was a very well defended area.

* * *

The leaders of the Allied Army stood in the command tent.

"I think we strike now. We've waited far too long based off of the scouts." Said the King of Elbe

The other leaders nodded in agreement.

"Of course, we _have_ to win this. The troops' morale is low and many are thinking of mutiny, besides the fact we have few left."

The others had to agree with this too.

"We attack at night then," said one of the others, "this is a good plan methinks."

They all agreed with this.

* * *

A young man peered into the darkness beyond Trench 15. Even with a lantern it was hard to tell what was there as the clouds blocked the moon's rays. He heard some shuffling or something and glanced to his side to see if it was his replacement.

"YAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Suddenly he felt cold iron go through him. Warm blood dripped onto his arms and hands. With his last bit of strength, he raised his arm and fired a red flare into the dark sky. Then he took his last breath.

Suddenly, without any warning, electric spotlights turned on and the surrounding area was flooded with light.

The Allied soldiers realized that they were going to die.

* * *

"FIRE UPON THOSE BASTARDS!" The sound of tiny explosions in quick session split the night to the colonel's cry.

The drummer boys started beating upon their drums. The beating barely carried in the barrage.

Within less than a minute most of the remaining Roman forces were cut down…then the Americans ran out of ammunition and they were forced to charge into the fray. They now had to fight on equal terms.

Corporal Jefferson bolted into a small group of Roman soldiers. His bayonet slammed through the throat of one, but the man had not died so he cocked his repeater and fired the remaining round through the Roman's jaw.

Something slammed into his back and he turned around to see one of the other Romans had tried to slice his back open and sever his spine…only his new, shiny breastplate had protected him. He ran the man through with his cavalry saber and noticed another Roman charging at him. With barely any time to spare he ripped his revolver from it's holster and fired a round through the man's head. Blood squirted everywhere.

"Veni, vidi, vici, bitches!"

He turned and saw another American soldier had been surrounded and was fighting for his life. The Corporal decided that this was a good time as any to see if he could fan his pistol…he was mostly successful and four of them fell dead, bullet holes in various locations. The other American was able to finish the Romans off with his saber.

"Thanks, partner!" The American exclaimed before handing the corporal a strange knife made from some brass knuckles and an old combat knife, "this here'll protect you better'n your own knife. I dunno what to call it…but take it, partner. You saved my life."

Jefferson took the knife and expected it. It was very quite brilliant in design. With it he could slash and punch…it was magnificent.

After taking a quick glance around the battlefield, he nearly recoiled with shock. Men lay on the ground peppered with bullet holes but still alive, some groaned and some cried for their mothers. Others had broken swords and knives and had resorted to beating each other to death with rocks.

"O-oh l-lord…" Jefferson glanced down and saw the speaker. He was a young man, no older than nineteen, and most of his limbs had been hacked off and various arrows stood out of his back and remaining arm like the spikes of a porcupine. "W-water, M-Mister."

The Corporal squatted down and held the man's head in his hands and gave him some water. "It's gonna be aight, partner," Jefferson said, "try'n catch some sleep, sir."

"I-I c-can't f-feel my l-legs, M-Mister." The soldier coughed up some blood. "I-I a-ain't g-gonna d-die, r-right, M-Mister? I-I p-promised…M-Ma…"

"You ain't dead…you ain't gonna die." _Poor kid…_

"I-I…w-wanna…s-see…N-New…" The soldier coughed up some more blood, and continued, his voice barely a whisper, "Y-York…" He took a final breath and collapsed.

An arrow pierced itself into Jefferson's arm…but he was too numb to feel it. _H-he was barely a man…w-why?_

Jefferson sat there in the dust, holding the corpse in his hands. He was unmoving and stared into the distance, unfeeling of anything.

* * *

Sergeant Major Thomas Stevenson looked at the Corporal, the corpse in his hands, and the thousand-yard stare. He shook his head and decided to bring the man back to reality.

"Corporal Jefferson!" He barked, "on your feet! NOW!"

The man slowly and sadly got to his feet, the stare of terror never leaving his eyes. "I-I can't do this no more, Sarge…"

"Like hell you can't! I survived the bulk of the War and do you see me acting like I just saw a bomb capable of destroying a city?"

"I-I don't think I see much of anything anymore, S-Sarge…"

"What you mean?"

"I-I can't see!"

"I-" the sergeant rubbed his chin and then waved a hand in front of the Corporal's face. No reaction. "The hell…PRIVATE!"

"Yessir?" A young man, fresh out of bootcamp, ran up to the sergeant.

"Lead this man to the infirmary, soldier, he thinks he's blind." Thomas gestured towards the Corporal.

"Yessir!" The Private smartly saluted and then grabbed the other man's arm and lead him back into the fort.

The battle was over, at least, and the Romans had fully pulled out. An American victory. Only thirty-six Americans KIA and five MIA, compared to the many Romans killed and captured (numbers were still being counted). They'd been lucky, the sergeant knew. Had the enemy come with any larger of a fighting force, the US would've been easily overwhelmed.

He glanced to where the sun was already rising. _Damn…had they brought more than just two of those little dragon things…_ He shook his head. The possibility was all too real…realer, somehow, than the war against Spain.

_Still_, he mused as he looked upon the rising sun, _this marks a new dawn in American history…perhaps even the _world's_ history._


End file.
